Coronation Street star Charlie Condou has said that his character's exit will be 'really exciting'.
It was previously reported that the actor, who plays Marcus Dent, has quit the soap and will finish filming in early summer next year.
Speaking on Lorraine today (November 28) about his reasons for leaving, Condou said: "I absolutely love it there and I have had an amazing time but I never planned on being there for a long time again.
"I went back for just three months for a very short storyline and ended up there for another three years. It is time for me to go off and do other things."
An upcoming storyline will see Marcus fall for Todd Grimshaw's (Bruno Langley) charms, despite his current relationship with Maria Connor (Samia Ghadie).
Condou said: "We have just started filming some of it at the moment and he is certainly going to turn Marcus's head and that is going to go a lot further but poor Maria.
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"I like the fact that Marcus came in, he was a gay man and he was really comfortable with himself and then of course he fell in love with Maria which nobody saw coming, least of all him. I've said this before, it does happen in real life but this is a soap and it was never going to end well for Marcus and Maria."
Condou continued: "I think we knew that from the minute they put us together and I think the gay thing was always going to rear its head again so that is where we are now, but I can't say too much. It is going to be really exciting, I do know that.
"I will be on screen probably until July or August - I am here for ages yet. They asked me to stay for a little bit longer than my contract was just to have this storyline, so it is great. "
Show bosses are promising that Marcus's storyline "will divide the residents of Coronation Street".
Condou was originally in Coronation Street between 2007 and 2008. He later returned in 2011.
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